Headline: HOLLYWOOD
MAY RETELL A LOVE STORY THAT'S LESS UNUSUAL TODAY
Reporter: By Greg Freeman \Email:
Publication: ST.
LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed: 11/5/2002
Section: METRO, Page: B1, Edition: FIVE STAR LIFT
Hollywood is considering
a remake of the film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."
The
original starred Spencer Tracy as the father who is upset that his daughter
has chosen to marry a black man, played by Sidney Poitier. Katharine Hepburn
stars as Tracy's wife. According to news reports, the remake would put a black
family at the center of the drama, perhaps with sitcom star Bernie Mac in the
Spencer Tracy role.
The
original version caused quite a stir when it first hit screens in 1967. Interracial
marriage was taboo. It did happen occasionally, but it was the kind of thing
that families kept quiet, like the crazy aunt in the cellar.
Today, however,
interracial dating and marriage are much more common, making me wonder how much
impact such a film would have on today's audiences -- even with a black family
front and center.
It
might be hard for some to imagine that 40 years ago, miscegenation laws were
on the books in most states -- laws that made it illegal for blacks and whites
to marry. It was in 1967 -- the same year that "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"
was released -- that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that barring interracial marriages
was unconstitutional.
Today,
churches have become accepting of interracial marriage, and it's hardly shocking
these days to see a television program or movie where blacks and whites are
dating one another.
Blacks
and whites aren't the only races to date one another. Asians, Hispanics and
American Indians have also been more willing to become part of interracial relationships.
But before you
start to think that you're the odd person out because you're not in an interracial
relationship, think again: Interracial marriages represent only 2.5 percent
of the total, according to the U.S. census. But the numbers have more than doubled
since 1980, to 1.4 million from 651,000.
And
there's been a dramatic jump in the number of marriages between black women
and white men. Figures from the 2000 census indicate that while the number of
black female-white male marriages remained relatively static between 1960 and
1980, the number tripled by 2000. In 1960, there were 26,000 such marriages
in the United States; by 2000, there were 80,000.
For me, the issue
of interracial marriage hits home. Regular readers know that my wife is white,
and our son is biracial.
In
the 23 years of our marriage, we've seen a marked change in the way the public
looks at us. When we first married, we found that we were the object of everyone's
interest. Though it made no difference to us because we were comfortable with
one another, we would often find that wherever we went, people would stare at
us. Ultimately, we learned the trick of staring back -- something that usually
got the offending person to turn away, embarrassed. In recent years, we've noticed
that we no longer get the stares.
Of
course, our experiences are in cities like St. Louis and larger places. I'm
sure there are small towns today where our marriage still would not be accepted.
Overall, though, there seems to be a growing acceptance.
Perhaps
the acceptance has something to do with the children of interracial relationships
growing up and making names for themselves. Halle Berry, Tiger Woods, Mariah
Carey and Vin Diesel are among the names in headlines today who are multiracial.
Of course, interracial
liaisons are hardly new in this country. One can go back to Thomas Jefferson
and Sally Hemings, the slave with whom he is believed to have had at least one
child.
But
while such relationships were only whispered about at one time, they're out
in the open today. And contrary to those who suggest that such couples are marrying
to make a statement, or because of some sort of self-hatred, most interracial
couples marry for the same reason most people of any color marry: because they
love each other.
And
love is a concept that even Spencer Tracy's character ultimately understood.
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